Refurbished Wheels

Refurbished Wheels

Author
Discussion

GKBUK

Original Poster:

11 posts

187 months

Friday 11th September 2015
quotequote all
Recently, one of the wheels on my x5 started to spall and when I took a close look I began to wonder if it had ever been repaired.

I purchased it from a BMW dealership last year when it was just a few months old with 4K miles, in brand new condition all round and there was no mention of any wheel repairs or indeed any blemishes before, during or after the sales process.

It went in for its first service last week (£293 for the standard oil & filter change - is that normal for a dealership ? ) and I asked them to check out the spalling wheel. They called me back the following day to advise that it would cost about £150 to repair but in the circumstances would reduce this to about £50. They then informed me that three of the four wheels had been repaired before it was sold to me.

I am wondering what my rights are. At present only one of the three wheels is showing signs of a faulty repair but I know from past experience that refurbished wheels whether from the BMW workshop or a wheel specialist do not last more then 3 - 4 years until they show signs of having been repaired.

While the dealership has now amended their offer to repair one wheel at their cost and inspect the other two for any signs of deterioration, they are stating that they cannot guarantee that the repairs to the other wheels will not start to show (spalling for example) in the future and therefore rectifying those repairs would be to my expense.

I thought I was purchasing an X5 with four wheels as new in perfect condition whereas only one of them was. Is this not misrepresentation by the dealership (they were obliged to disclose that three of the four wheels were refurbished) and if it is, what am I entitled to demand from them. Perhaps not brand new replacement wheels but surely I should not be expected to have to pay for rectification of any repairs, whether occurring now or in the future.

I am not referring to any fair wear and tear to the wheels post my purchase as I understand any repairs I required through that cause / time would be fully to my account.

My thanks in advance for any comments.




Monty Python

4,812 posts

197 months

Friday 11th September 2015
quotequote all
Repair or refurbishment - there's quite a difference. If they've just been refurbished then there's not a lot you can do. If the previous owner had it done then there's no way the dealer would have known.

GKBUK

Original Poster:

11 posts

187 months

Friday 11th September 2015
quotequote all
Just to clarify, I am not sure the extent to which they have been repaired or refurbished. The dealer effectively owned the car (one of their directors was the 1st owner) and undertook the repairs / refurbishment before selling to me.

I assume the difference between a repair and a refurbishment is that the former would be a spot repair for say curbing to the rim or stone chips whereas a refurbishment is where the entire wheel has been treated such as cutting and re powder coating.

I do not know what has been done to these wheels as the dealer has yet to provide any details. But why would this make a difference as regards the dealerships obligations ?


IAN1967

242 posts

170 months

Tuesday 15th September 2015
quotequote all
I would not recommend having your wheels repaired by BMW, even if they offer you a good price.

I had one repaired on my 1 series, as a special offer they were running, and it took ages and quality was poor

My 7 series had its wheels refurbed before I picked it up but agin quality is poor, obviously just sprayed over the face to look nice, exsiting tape on inside of the wheel from weights still there and covered in spray. Sometime I will get them finished properly

GKBUK

Original Poster:

11 posts

187 months

Tuesday 15th September 2015
quotequote all
I'm suer you are right about the standard their paint shops generally produce.

However, what I am trying to establish and for the benefit of others who may suffer similar experiences (misrepresentation by the dealer during the sales process) is what am I legally entitled to insist they do ?

Comments on that is what I am hoping to receive. This is something as a matter of principle which relates not only to wheels.

S1MMA

2,378 posts

219 months

Tuesday 15th September 2015
quotequote all
GKBUK said:
I'm suer you are right about the standard their paint shops generally produce.

However, what I am trying to establish and for the benefit of others who may suffer similar experiences (misrepresentation by the dealer during the sales process) is what am I legally entitled to insist they do ?

Comments on that is what I am hoping to receive. This is something as a matter of principle which relates not only to wheels.
Did you specifically ask the dealer if the wheels had been re-painted or repaired during the sale process?

Ultimately you bought a used car, and if the dealer described the car accurately enough then you don't really have much comeback should the wheels have been painted IMO. If you wanted the car to be all new, then buy a new car. What is your basis for misrepresentation? It was not a new car, so why does every painted surface have to be "original"?

You may be surprised to learn that even new cars sometimes have damage repaired before delivery due to transit damage, do all dealers declare this? I don't know but I would imagine not. In the case of a new car you would have more of a case against the dealer but not in the case of a used car IMO.

Depending on where you are in the country, I would recommend getting the wheels done at Lepsons in Gillingham. I have had several sets done there and whilst not 100% perfect, they are 95-99% perfect.

johnfm

13,668 posts

250 months

Thursday 17th September 2015
quotequote all
GKBUK said:
Recently, one of the wheels on my x5 started to spall and when I took a close look I began to wonder if it had ever been repaired.

I purchased it from a BMW dealership last year when it was just a few months old with 4K miles, in brand new condition all round and there was no mention of any wheel repairs or indeed any blemishes before, during or after the sales process.

It went in for its first service last week (£293 for the standard oil & filter change - is that normal for a dealership ? ) and I asked them to check out the spalling wheel. They called me back the following day to advise that it would cost about £150 to repair but in the circumstances would reduce this to about £50. They then informed me that three of the four wheels had been repaired before it was sold to me.

I am wondering what my rights are. At present only one of the three wheels is showing signs of a faulty repair but I know from past experience that refurbished wheels whether from the BMW workshop or a wheel specialist do not last more then 3 - 4 years until they show signs of having been repaired.

While the dealership has now amended their offer to repair one wheel at their cost and inspect the other two for any signs of deterioration, they are stating that they cannot guarantee that the repairs to the other wheels will not start to show (spalling for example) in the future and therefore rectifying those repairs would be to my expense.

I thought I was purchasing an X5 with four wheels as new in perfect condition whereas only one of them was. Is this not misrepresentation by the dealership (they were obliged to disclose that three of the four wheels were refurbished) and if it is, what am I entitled to demand from them. Perhaps not brand new replacement wheels but surely I should not be expected to have to pay for rectification of any repairs, whether occurring now or in the future.

I am not referring to any fair wear and tear to the wheels post my purchase as I understand any repairs I required through that cause / time would be fully to my account.

My thanks in advance for any comments.
Why were they obliged to disclose this?

Misrepresentation involves the seller making a statement of fact, which you rely on, and which turns out to be false. Unless they stated "the wheels have never been repaired or refurbished" I am not sure they have made any representation - though of course we are not privy to the advert nor the discussions you had with the salesman at the time.